Amy L. Dilday
Amy has been practicing law in the Tampa Bay area since 2005. She is Board Certified by the Florida Bar as an expert in appellate practice, and regularly handles appeals in both Florida state and federal courts. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in the areas of law approved for certification.
Prior to beginning her practice, Amy graduated cum laude from Stetson University College of Law. While in law school, she served as an associate for the Stetson Law Review. She was also a member of Stetson’s Moot Court Board, competing in both workers’ compensation and bankruptcy moot competitions. Amy also was invited to and completed Stetson’s Honors Program.
Upon graduation from law school, Amy was a staff attorney for the Honorable Douglas A. Wallace at Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal. She then practiced in the appellate departments of two insurance defense law firms before joining Englander Fisher’s appellate practice group.
In her free time, Amy enjoys cooking, music, and time with her family.
- Stetson University, College of Law, Gulfport, Florida, Juris Doctor: May 2005, cum laude
- Truman University, Kirksville, Missouri: M.A. in Speech and Language Pathology
- Truman University, Kirksville, Missouri: B.S. in Speech and Language Pathology
- summa cum laude
Florida Bar
- Florida – all courts
- United States District Court – Middle District
- United States District Court – Northern District
- United States Court of Appeals – Eleventh Circuit
- Practices primarily in the area of appellate law and has successfully researched, written, and argued state and federal appellate court briefs, substantive trial motions, and memorandums.
- Has litigated in every Florida district court of appeal, the Supreme Court of Florida, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
- Civil litigation in the areas of commercial litigation, professional liability defense, medical malpractice, and long-term care defense.
- In her practice, Amy has seen the value of bringing appellate lawyers into the case at early stages. She has been able to identify legal arguments and draft substantive motions, approaching the issues from an appellate perspective, that have impacted the results of the case in favor of her clients.
- Served as appellate counsel in a personal injury case in which the plaintiff had settled with all defendants except the entity owner, who was not involved with the specific issue being litigated. Nevertheless, the plaintiff held out against the owner, even though the court had already denied two motions for summary judgment for the owner. Appellate counsel was then brought on to make another attempt at summary judgment and, after the appellate motion was filed, plaintiff’s counsel finally agreed to negotiate a settlement.
- Represented client in an appeal securing the affirmance of summary judgment in the client’s favor in hotly-contested litigation in both the state and federal appellate courts regarding issues of joint venture, statutory compliance, and constitutional law.
- Served as primary appellate counsel in multiple appeals that overturned trial court rulings denying the clients’ motions to enforce their arbitration agreements.
- Served as counsel in both the trial courts and appellate courts, successfully defending against claims for punitive damages.
- Served as appellate counsel in the trial court and lead counsel in the appellate court in an action concerning riparian rights case, resulting in a court determination that the client was entitled to the waterfront land adjacent to the property.
- Served as appellate counsel in the trial court and lead counsel in the appellate court that successfully upheld summary judgment for the client in a professional malpractice claim.
- Board Certified in Appellate Practice, The Florida Bar, June 1, 2014.
- Best Lawyers Named as a Best Lawyer among Appellate Attorneys in the Tampa Bay Area for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
- Recognized as a Top Lawyer in Appellate Practice by Tampa Bay Magazine in 2023.
- Florida Association of Women Lawyers Leader in the Law Award 2020.
- Contributing columnist to the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s publication, The Record.
- Presenting Speaker, Setting Up Your Daubert Motion: Best Practices for Procedure, Preservation, and Ethics, Florida Legal Defense Association, June 2021.
- Panel Speaker, Azar Wars: An Update on Florida health Science Center, Inc. v. Secretary of HHS and Strategies for Protecting Patient Safety Work Product, Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management, May 2020.
- Presenting Speaker, Millennial Issues: Social Media and Medical Marijuana, Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management, July 2019.
- Author, The Record on Appeal: What Do You Do When There was No Court Reporter?, Florida Bar Journal, November 2010.
- Co-author, The Appellate Opinion is Out—Now What Do I Do?, Florida Bar Journal, May, 2008.
- The Florida Bar: Appellate Practice Section
- The Hillsborough County Bar: Appellate Practice Section
- Pinellas County Association of Women Lawyers, Board of Directors
- Lighthouse Counseling Services, Inc., board member.
